TEMPE, Ariz. — While basking in his second son Dominick’s birth early Sunday morning, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis still had a job to do. Just an hour after welcoming his newborn and with three hours until kickoff against the Chicago Bears , Rallis turned to his wife, Devin, in the hospital room and asked if he could review his game plan.
“Sure,” she said.
It might seem like an odd request, especially at that moment, but for the Rallis family, it was normal — although with a slight tweak.
Typically, Nick recites his plan and calls verbally to Devin on Fridays before games. His pregame routine continues on Sundays, when he goes to the Cardinals’ Tempe facility for a cold plunge before stopping by a local coffee shop alone to talk himself through how he’s going to call the defense.
Last weekend started as usual. He went over the game plan with Devin on Friday while she watched a show, Nick explained Tuesday.
“I don’t think she listens to me very much,” Nick said. “She said, ‘Mmhmm.'”